Aircraft control system and method

ABSTRACT

The aircraft control system 100 includes an inceptor with a set of primary inceptor axes and a set of secondary inceptor inputs. The inceptor can optionally include a hand rest, a thumb groove, a set of finger grooves, passive soft stops, and/or any other additional elements. The aircraft control system can optionally include a flight controller, aircraft sensors, effectors, and a haptic feedback mechanism. However, the aircraft control system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Application No.17/340,476 filed on 7 Jun. 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/035,416 filed on 5 Jun. 2020, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by thisreference as if explicitly set forth.

This application is related to U.S. Application Ser. No. 16/409,653,filed 10 May 2019, and U.S. Application Ser. No. 16/708,367, filed 9Dec. 2019, each of which is incorporated in its entirety by thisreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the aviation field, and morespecifically to a new and useful control system and method in theaviation field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic representation of a hand viewed from thepalmar side.

FIG. 2B is an isometric representation of a hand illustrating referenceplanes and directions.

FIG. 2C is a diagrammatic representation of hand and forearm motions andassociated terms.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are diagrammatic representations of a variant of ahand rest, a variant of a hand rest with a finite number of adjustments,and a variant of a hand rest with infinite adjustments, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a top view representation of a variant including a hand rest.

FIG. 5 is a side view representation of a variant including a hand rest.

FIG. 6 depicts an example inceptor and associated command axes.

FIG. 7 depicts an example integration of a variant of the system in anaircraft.

FIG. 8 depicts an example of forward and hover configurations of a rotorrelative to a wing.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of an aircraft in the hover arrangement.

FIG. 10 depicts an example of an aircraft in the forward arrangement.

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are a top view and rear view of an aircraftillustrating aircraft axes in the hover arrangement and forwardarrangement, respectively.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart diagram of a variant of the method.

FIG. 13 is a diagram mapping user body parts and motions to inputcommands.

FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of a variant of the system.

FIG. 15A is a force versus displacement graph for an axis of an inceptorwhich includes a soft stop in a variant of the system.

FIG. 15B is a displacement versus force graph for an axis of an inceptorwhich includes a soft stop in a variant of the system.

FIG. 16 is an example of a conventional inceptor without a hand rest.

FIG. 17 is a variant of an inceptor with an adjustable hand rest.

FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of an example hand placement ofrelative to the inceptor grip.

FIG. 19 is a side view image of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 20 is a side view image of a variant of the system 100 illustratingan example hand placement relative to the inceptor.

FIG. 21 is an isometric view image of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 22A to FIG. 22D are isometric view images of a variant of thesystem illustrating hand placement relative to the inceptor with thethumb: off of the thumb axis, contacting the thumb axis, displacing thethumb axis away from the user, and displacing the thumb axis towards theuser, respectively.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 24 is an orthogonal view of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 25 is an orthogonal view of a variant of the system 100.

FIG. 26A to FIG. 26E are diagrammatic representations of a variant of aninceptor axis including a soft-stop.

FIG. 27A to FIG. 27N are views of an inceptor grip in a variant of thesystem.

FIG. 28A to FIG. 28B are side views of a variant of an inceptor gripillustrating thumb mobility.

FIG. 29A to FIG. 29B are 3D views of a variant of an inceptor grip beingmanipulated by a hand with a relaxed thumb and index finger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionis not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments,but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use thisinvention.

1. Overview

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aircraft control system 100 includes at leastone inceptor 101. The aircraft control system can optionally include aflight controller 102, aircraft sensors 103, effectors 104, and a hapticfeedback mechanism 105. The inceptor 101 can include: inceptor grip 110,a set of primary inceptor axes 120, and a set of secondary inceptorinputs 130. The inceptor can optionally include a hand rest 140, passivesoft stops 150, and/or any other additional elements. However, theaircraft control system 100 can additionally or alternatively includeany other suitable components.

The aircraft control system 100 and/or method is preferably implementedin conjunction with an aircraft (e.g., the system can include anaircraft, the system can be optimized and/or tailored to a specificaircraft, the system can be interchangeable between multiple types ofaircraft, etc.). The rotorcraft is preferably a tiltrotor aircraft witha plurality of aircraft propulsion systems (e.g., rotor assemblies,rotor systems, etc.), operable between a forward arrangement (examplesare shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11B) and a hover arrangement (someexamples are shown in FIG. 8 , FIG. 9 , and FIG. 11A). However, therotorcraft can alternatively be a fixed wing aircraft with one or morerotor assemblies or propulsion systems, a helicopter with one or morerotor assemblies (e.g., wherein at least one rotor assembly or aircraftpropulsion system is oriented substantially axially to providehorizontal thrust), and/or any other suitable rotorcraft or vehiclepropelled by rotors. The rotorcraft preferably includes an all-electricpowertrain (e.g., battery powered electric motors) to drive the one ormore rotor assemblies, but can additionally or alternatively include ahybrid powertrain (e.g., a gas-electric hybrid including aninternal-combustion generator), an internal-combustion powertrain (e.g.,including a gas-turbine engine, a turboprop engine, etc.), and any othersuitable powertrain.

The aircraft can have any suitable mass (e.g., unloaded mass, loadedmass, maximum takeoff mass, etc.) with any appropriate mass distribution(or weight distribution). The aircraft mass can be: less than 1 kg, 1kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 50 kg, 100 kg, 500 kg, 1000 kg, 1250 kg, 1500 kg, 1750kg, 2000 kg, 2250 kg, 2500 kg, 2750 kg, 3000 kg, 5000 kg, 1000 kg, 20000kg, less than 1500 kg, 1500-2000 kg, 2000-3000 kg, 3000-5000 kg,5000-10000 kg, greater than 10000 kg, any suitable range bounded by theaforementioned values, and/or any other appropriate mass. The aircraftis preferably a passenger carrier, configured to transport 1, 2, 3, 5,7, 10, greater than 10, and/or any suitable number of passengers,however the aircraft can alternately be an unmanned aircraft, ateleoperated passenger aircraft, a remotely piloted aircraft, and/or anyother suitable aircraft.

In a specific example, portions of the aircraft control system 100 areintegrated into the electric tiltrotor aircraft described in U.S.Application Ser. No. 16/409,653, filed 10 May 2019, which isincorporated in its entirety by this reference. However, any othersuitable aircraft can be used.

In a specific example of the system, portions of the system areintegrated into an electric tiltrotor aircraft including a plurality oftiltable rotor assemblies (e.g., six tiltable rotor assemblies, anexample of a tiltable rotor is shown in FIG. 8 ). The electric tiltrotoraircraft can operate as a fixed wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft,and in any liminal configuration between a fixed and rotary wing state(e.g., wherein one or more of the plurality of tiltable rotor assembliesis oriented in a partially rotated state). The control system of theelectric tiltrotor aircraft in this example can function to command andcontrol the plurality of tiltable rotor assemblies within and/or betweenthe fixed wing arrangement and the rotary-wing arrangement.

The term “axis” as referenced herein preferably refers to a degree offreedom in which a body (e.g., inceptor grip, roller wheel, etc.) istransformable (e.g., rotational degree of freedom, linear degree offreedom, etc.). Such axes can be used to define a physical coordinateframe of the body, which can be associated with and/or constrained byvarious joints (e.g., revolute joints, spherical joint, bearings, etc.),linkages, hard stops, and/or other mechanisms. Measurements taken byinput sensors aligned with said degree of freedom of the body can beused for various inputs. Accordingly, the term “input axis” can likewiseinterchangeably refer to a sensor coordinate frame (or the range ofmeasurements thereon) and/or the corresponding coordinate axis of thebody. However, the term axis and/or input axis can have any othersuitable meaning.

An “active” inceptor as referenced herein is an inceptor which canmodify the force-feel characteristics in a closed loop response.Force-feel characteristics can include: inertia, force/displacementgradient, damping, breakout force, stick travel, and detent shapeconfiguration parameters in the inceptor control laws. A “passive”inceptor as referenced herein is an inceptor which does not useelectrical energy and/or power sources onboard the vehicle to adjust(e.g., by the flight computer) the force-feel characteristics of theinceptor depending on the status of the aircraft. Both active andpassive inceptors as referenced herein can include haptic feedbackmechanisms, which can, in some variants, be electrically controlleddepending on the status of the aircraft.

The term “rotor” as utilized herein, in relation to portions of thesystem 100, method S100, or otherwise, can refer to a rotor, apropeller, and/or any other suitable rotary aerodynamic actuator. Whilea rotor can refer to a rotary aerodynamic actuator that makes use of anarticulated or semi-rigid hub (e.g., wherein the connection of theblades to the hub can be articulated, flexible, rigid, and/or otherwiseconnected), and a propeller can refer to a rotary aerodynamic actuatorthat makes use of a rigid hub (e.g., wherein the connection of theblades to the hub can be articulated, flexible, rigid, and/or otherwiseconnected), no such distinction is explicit or implied when used herein,and the usage of “rotor” can refer to either configuration, and anyother suitable configuration of articulated or rigid blades, and/or anyother suitable configuration of blade connections to a central member orhub. Likewise, the usage of “propeller” can refer to eitherconfiguration, and any other suitable configuration of articulated orrigid blades, and/or any other suitable configuration of bladeconnections to a central member or hub. Accordingly, the tiltrotoraircraft can be referred to as a tilt-propeller aircraft, a tilt-propaircraft, and/or otherwise suitably referred to or described.

The term “substantially” as utilized herein can mean: exactly,approximately, within a predetermined threshold (e.g., within 1%, within5%, within 10%, etc.), predetermined tolerance, and/or have any othersuitable meaning.

2. Benefits

Variations of the technology can afford several benefits and/oradvantages.

First, variations of the technology can minimize the number of inputmechanisms managed by the user during flight, while maintaining asuitable level of user cognitive workload. In variants, aircraft willlack direct human controls for: power (throttle, propeller control),aircraft configuration (tilt, flaps, landing gear), aircraft control(trim, rudder pedals, brake pedals), and/or other control parameters,but can additionally or alternatively include direct human controls forany of the aforementioned control parameters. For example, the systemcan include a single inceptor that can control the aircraft acrossvarious flight regimes without altering the input axes in which the userinputs commands (e.g., via dynamic remapping between input axes andeffector states based on flight regime). A single inceptor can alsoadvantageously reduce mass, system complexity, compactness, and/or aidin ingress and egress from the aircraft. In some variants, theinceptor(s) can self-center to a neutral position associated with stableaircraft flight, allowing the user to incidentally remove a hand(s) fromthe inceptor in all flight modes (conditions permitting) withoutdestabilizing the aircraft.

Second, variations of the technology can facilitate single-useroperation in complex environments and situations. The cognitive workloadof the unified command system and method can be tailored to specifictasks: for example, the workload can be adapted to single-user operationof a VTOL-capable aircraft in urban environments (e.g., without thenominal workload substantially exceeding nor falling substantially shortof such tasks, to prevent overwork and boredom/disengagement). Thecognitive workload can also be oriented toward aeronautical decisionmaking (e.g., which aircraft actions should be commanded) instead oftechnical decision making (e.g., which aircraft effectors should be inwhich effector states).

Third, variations of the technology can facilitate operation of aninceptor without the use of the thumb and/or fingers, leaving them freefor additional inputs (an example is shown in FIG. 20 , FIG. 22A to FIG.22D, FIG. 28A to FIG. 28B, and FIG. 29A to FIG. 29B). In variants,multi-axis input requirements can be controlled by free, independentarticulation of unique muscle groups (i.e. the one muscle group is notrequired to control multiple independent axes). In a specific example,articulation of the thumb fully controls vertical rate, and is notrequired for manipulation of the X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis of theinceptor. In a second specific example, articulation of the thumb fullycontrols airspeed rate (e.g., during forward flight), and is notrequired for manipulation of the X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis of theinceptor. In a third specific example, articulation of the thumb fullycontrols longitudinal rate and acceleration (e.g., during hover), and isnot required for manipulation of the X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis ofthe inceptor. In a fourth specific example, articulation of the thumbfully controls thrust and/or wheel motors (e.g., during groundoperation), and is not required for manipulation of the X-axis, Y-axis,and/or Z-axis of the inceptor.

Fourth, variations of the technology can minimize the number of feedbacksystems managed by the user and/or streamline the management feedbacksystems, which can reduce the cognitive workload of the pilot.Additionally, feedback systems can prioritize different types offeedback to reduce alarm fatigue and/or low cognitive attentivenesswhich can result from constant or repetitive exposure to low severityalerts. In particular, haptic feedback requires the least cognitiveattentiveness because it is directly associated with the task ofmanipulation of the input mechanism(s). In variants, haptic feedback canbe used to communicate information beyond force feedback on primary axesof the inceptor, thereby reducing the required number of feedbacksystems and/or achieving an appropriate level of feedback redundancy.

Fifth, variations of the technology utilizing a single inceptor canreduce aircraft mass and/or complexity. Variants of this technology canfurther reduce weight and complexity by utilizing passive force feedbackmechanisms one or more inceptor axes (e.g., with a mustache cam), sothat a motor is not required to generate force feedback on eachaxis-which can further reduce system complexity and mass.

Sixth, variations of the technology can increase the number of inputsavailable for a single control axis. In variants, actuation in a singledirection along a single axis can map to one or more inputs to conferadditional control. In a specific variant, pushing through a soft stopcan provide an additional pilot input command. In a specific example,pushing through a soft stop can provide a user confirmation to exit anaugmented flight mode.

3. System

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aircraft control system 100 includes at leastone inceptor 101. The aircraft control system can optionally include aflight controller 102, aircraft sensors 103, effectors 104, and a hapticfeedback mechanism 105. The inceptor 101 can include: inceptor grip 110,a set of primary inceptor axes 120, and a set of secondary inceptorinputs 130. The inceptor can optionally include a hand rest 140, passivesoft stops 150, and/or any other additional elements. However, theaircraft control system 100 can additionally or alternatively includeany other suitable components.

The inceptor 101 functions to receive command input (input command) froma user of the aircraft in the form of physical departures of theinceptor position from a neutral position. The inceptor can be coupledto a flight processor in an indirect, “fly-by-wire” manner, such that noprimary control of effectors is available to the user (e.g., all directeffector control is generated by the flight processor in response toreceived command input from the input mechanism). A fly-by-wire couplingbetween the inceptor and the flight processor (e.g., and the effectorsby way of the flight processor) can enable an inceptor having 2 or moreindependent axes to be used without complex mechanical flight controllinkages between the inceptor and aircraft effectors (e.g., which canlimit the number of aircraft motion axes and associated effectors eachinceptor can practically control). Alternatively, the inceptor caninclude direct connections (e.g., primary control) to one or moreeffectors, and/or any suitable combination of direct and indirectconnections.

The physical departures of the inceptor can be decomposed in spacebetween the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis (a.k.a. twist axis), and A-axismotions as shown by example in FIG. 6 ; however, the physical departuresfrom a neutral position can be otherwise suitably decomposed. For eachaxis, the stick deflection can be measured with absolute or relativeposition (e.g., displacement, angular position, etc.). The inceptor(e.g., axis of inceptor, base of the inceptor, and/or linkages connectedto the inceptor) can include one or more: position transducer,capacitive displacement sensor, eddy-current sensor, hall effect sensor,inductive sensor, laser doppler vibrometer (optical), linear variabledifferential transformer (LVDT), photodiode array, force sensors, straingauges, piezo-electric transducer (piezo-electric), position encoders(absolute encoder, incremental encoder, linear encoder, rotary encoder,etc.), potentiometer, proximity sensor (optical), string potentiometer(a.k.a. string pot, string encoder, cable position transducer),ultrasonic sensor, and/or any other suitable devices which can beconfigured to measure departures of the inceptor. Axes of the inceptorcan have the same sensor type or different sensor types. The inceptorcan include redundant sensors (e.g., or the same type or differenttypes, force sensors and position sensors, etc.) for each axis or asubset therein. In variants, sensors which can infer inceptor positionor pilot commands via force (e.g., strain gauge, force sensor, loadcell, etc.) can mitigate a mechanical jam—where a position sensor may beless reliable. However, force sensing can alternatively be the primarysensing modality in one or more axes (e.g., with position sensing as avalidating measurement, without position sensing, etc.) and/or mayotherwise not be relied upon.

One or more axes of the inceptor can include force feedback mechanismsand/or soft stops-where the relative force required to displace theinceptor (e.g., slope of force vs displacement curve) increases over abounded interior range of input forces and/or displacements (an exampleof a force versus displacement curve for an inceptor axis including asoft stop is shown in FIG. 15A). Force feedback mechanism can beconfigured to provide: constant force versus deflection, variable forceversus deflection, no force (substantially zero, less than 1 N, etc.)versus deflection, no deflection allowed, change force versus deflectionon opposing sides of a soft stop, and/or otherwise operate across anyrange of deflections of the inceptor. Soft stop mechanisms can bepassive (implemented on a passive inceptor or passive inceptor axis) oractive (implemented on an active inceptor). Soft stops can be located onone side (e.g., positive or negative) or both sides (e.g.,symmetrically, asymmetrically) about a neutral position of the axis.Soft stops can be static, adjustable in hardware, adjustable in software(e.g., mapping sensitivity/envelope is adjustable), defined based on theflight envelope, and/or otherwise configured. Preferably, the inceptorincludes at least one soft stop on opposing sides of an axis, but caninclude no soft stops per side of an axis, multiple soft stops per sideof an axis, a different number of soft stops in the positive andnegative directions (e.g., for an axis mapping to aircraft pitch inforward) of an axis and/or other suitable number of soft stops. Softstops can, in variants, serve as a user input type and/or confirmation(e.g., to exit an augmented flight mode, to exceed a safety limit, toengage an augmented flight mode, etc.).

In a first variant, soft stops are configured on an active axis of theinceptor, which can be electro-mechanically actuated by a motor or otherpowered mechanism (e.g., hydraulic, pneumatic, etc.) to dynamicallychange the force required to displace the inceptor along the axis.

In a second variant, soft stop mechanisms rely on elastic spring/dampingeffects to increase the slope of the force vs displacement curve over apredetermined range of input forces and/or displacements. Passive softstops can include cam and/or mechanical linkages connected to a springsuch as a: mechanical spring, coil spring, extension spring, torsionspring, constant force spring, Belleville spring, garter spring, flatspring, gas spring, air spring, and/or any other suitable spring. In aspecific example, a soft stop mechanism can include a moustache-shapedcam (an example is shown in FIG. 23 ). In a second specific example,soft stops can use preloaded springs (e.g., pre-tensioned,pre-compressed, etc.) with contact pins only engaged for a predeterminedportion of displacements about the respective axis. Such instances canprovide a force ‘step’, requiring the entire preload to be countered bya user before the inceptor displaces further along the axis (an exampleis shown in FIG. 26A to FIG. 26E). Preloaded spring mechanisms canadvantageously provide ‘crisp’ transitions between regimes along theforce vs displacement curve.

In a third variant, soft stops can be used in conjunction with adeadband (e.g., spanning a neutral position of the inceptor) and/ordefine the boundaries of a deadband. Deadband soft stops can provide anysuitable breakout torque (and/or force) thresholds, such as: 0.5in-lbs., 1, in-lb., 2 in-lbs., 3 in-lbs., 5 in-lbs., 6 in-lbs., 10in-lbs., and/or any other suitable threshold in any inceptor axis.Deadband soft stops can be symmetric about the neutral position orasymmetric. In a specific example, wrist flexion can be significantly‘easier’ than wrist extension for users utilizing various griparrangements. In such cases, it can be advantageous to utilize differentbreakout thresholds in opposing directions along the axis based on therelative ease of rotation. Alternatively, the structure of the inceptorgrip can substantially balance the relative ease of rotation in bothdirections about the axis. In such cases, symmetric breakout thresholdscan reduce cross-axis contamination and/or eliminate cross-axiscontamination bias in a particular axis (e.g., as a result of asymmetricbreakout thresholds).

However, any other suitable soft stop can be used.

The inceptor can include a hand rest (e.g., hand blade rest, ulnarborder rest, palm rest), which functions to improve the ergonomics ofthe inceptor. The hand rest can additionally or alternately function toallow manipulation of one or more control axes with the thumb, indexfinger, and/or middle finger free. The hand rest can engage and/orsupport the: blade of hand (an example is shown in FIG. 2A), thenareminence, hypothenar eminence, heel of hand, ulnar border of hand, baseof the proximal phalanx (e.g., base of the small finger), small finger,wrist, ulnar border of forearm, and/or any other suitable user bodypart. Alternately, there can be no hand rest (an example is shown inFIG. 16 ).

The hand rest can include any suitable flanges which function to contactand/or engage body parts to transmit forces between the user and theinceptor. The hand rest can include a dorsal flange (an example is shownin FIG. 4 ), palmar flange (an example is shown in FIG. 5 ), distalflange, proximal flange, and/or any other suitable flanges.

The dorsal flange can be arranged on the opposite side of the hand asthe inceptor grip (e.g., distal, dorsal, peripheral, etc.; examples ofhand planes are illustrated in FIG. 2B). The dorsal flange is preferablyconnected to the grip of the inceptor by the palmar flange, but canalternately be supported by bracing extending from the grip or base ofthe inceptor. The dorsal flange preferably extends across a fullthickness of the grip (i.e. the length of the dorsal flange parallel thegrip’s x-axis is greater than or equal to the thickness of the inceptorgrip at the base) and can extend vertically (e.g., substantiallyparallel the grip’s z-axis), however the dorsal flange can extend acrossa portion of the grip, be angled relative to a grip plane or axis,and/or be otherwise arranged. Preferably, the length of the dorsalflange is 5 inches (e.g., average palm length) or 8 inches (e.g.,average hand length), but can be less than the average palm length, lessthan the average hand length, greater than the average palm length,greater than the average hand length, variable length (e.g., adjustablelength), the same length as the hand rest, shorter than the hand rest,longer than the hand rest, rise part way along the grip, be configuredto engage a dorsal portion of the hand (e.g., dorsal portion of smallfinger, dorsal portion of hypothenar eminence) and/or otherwise suitablyimplemented. The dorsal flange is preferably configured to be engaged byan extension of the wrist, hyperextension of one or more fingers,supination of the forearm, horizontal rotation (or external rotation) ofthe shoulder, and/or other suitable motion.

The hand rest can optionally include a palmar flange which can bemounted to the grip or base of the inceptor. The mounting can be staticor movable (e.g., for adjustable hand rests), can be rigid or flexible,and/or can be otherwise suitably implemented. The palmar flange ispreferably adjacent to the inceptor grip, and can be tangentiallyarranged relative to the thickness, extend radially from the thicknessof the inceptor (e.g., in the same direction as the fingers, in the samedirection as the palm), be angled relative to the inceptor grip: along amidplane, away from the palm, toward the palm, angled in the directionof wrist supination, angled in the direction of wrist pronation,parallel to the palm in the direction of the fingers, and/or otherwisesuitably implemented. The palmar flange can be substantially the samelength as the dorsal flange (or within 5%, 10%, 20%, etc.), however thepalmar flange can have a different length than the dorsal flange, extendonly toward the user from the inceptor grip (e.g., substantiallyparallel the grip’s negative x-axis or at an angle thereto), extend onlyaway from the user relative to the inceptor grip (e.g., substantiallyparallel the grip’s positive x-axis or at an angle thereto), extend bothtowards and away from the user relative to the inceptor grip, be mountedto a palmar side of the inceptor grip, and/or be otherwise configured.Preferably, the length of the palmar flange and/or palmar engagement ofthe inceptor cooperatively defined by the inceptor grip and palmarflange is 5 inches (e.g., average palm length) or 8 inches (e.g.,average hand length), but can be less than the average palm length, lessthan the average hand length, greater than the average palm length,greater than the average hand length, variable length (e.g., adjustablelength, swappable length, customizable to a user), and/or have any othersuitable length. The palmar flange can rise part way along the grip (anexample is shown in FIG. 18 ), be configured to engage a palmar portionof the hand (e.g., palmar portion of small finger, palmar portion ofhypothenar eminence) and/or be otherwise suitably implemented.

The hand rest can optionally include a distal flange and/or proximalflange, which can function to increase the contact area of the inceptoragainst the user’s hand and/or improve the ergonomics of the inceptor.The distal flange and/or proximal flange are preferably angled downwardtoward the base of the inceptor, but can be flat, angle upward, and/orotherwise suitably arranged. The proximal flange can define a steeperangle than the distal flange (e.g., relative to the inceptor), theproximal and distal flanges can have the same angle, or they can beotherwise suitably implemented. Preferably the proximal flange engagesthe hand blade and/or wrist during a radial deviation of the wrist, butcan engage the hand blade and/or wrist at all times, during other userarticulations, at various customizable angles of the hand rest, duringulnar deviations of the wrist (an example is shown in FIG. 2C), notcontact the user, and/or the proximal flange can otherwise suitablycontact the user. In an example, the contact area between the proximalflange and the user can increase during radial deviations of the wristand/or the contact area between the proximal flange and the user candecrease during ulnar deviations of the wrist. The distal flange canengage the hand blade and/or small finger (e.g., ulnar border of thehand) during ulnar deviations of the wrist, but can engage the handblade and/or small finger at all times, during other user articulations,at various customizable angles of the hand rest, during radialdeviations of the wrist, not contact the user, and/or the distal flangecan otherwise suitably contact the user. The distal flange canadditionally or alternately mount the hand rest to the inceptor (e.g.,inceptor grip) and/or serve as a pivot point for the hand rest (e.g., invariants with an adjustable hand rest, examples are shown in FIG. 3A toFIG. 3C).

However, the hand rest can include any other suitable set of flangesand/or otherwise suitably engage the hand.

In variants, the hand rest can be adjustable and/or configurable, whichcan improve ergonomics and/or user control authority. The hand rest canadditionally allow for positive grip and access to secondary inceptorinputs (e.g., buttons and switches) across anthropomorphic ranges. Inparticular, this is important because hand dimensions vary largelyacross user populations. In a specific example, hand breadth can varyfrom 6.9 cm in a 5.sup.th percentile female to 8.3 cm in a 95.sup.thpercentile male. As a result, the position the thumb and/or fingers(e.g., proximal to the top of the inceptor grip, within the thumb and/orfinger grooves, etc.) and/or inceptor ergonomics can be improved with anadjustable or reconfigurable hand rest. The hand rest can includeadjustability along longitudinal, lateral, and/or vertical inceptordirections—which can be the same or different from the X, Y, and/or Zaxes of the inceptor. Adjustment mechanisms on the inceptor can adjustthe dimensions and/or relative position (to the inceptor grip) of thehand rest (an example is shown in FIG. 17 ). Adjustment mechanisms canincrease a neutral pitch, yaw, and/or roll angle of the hand restrelative to the inceptor grip or relative to the base of the inceptor,increase a curvature of the hand rest, decrease a concavity of the handrest, change a camber of the hand rest, change a groove width (e.g.,between the palmar and dorsal flanges) of the hand rest, change a lengthof the hand rest, slide the hand rest in a palmar direction (e.g.,closer to the grip) or in a dorsal direction (e.g., away from the grip),tilt the hand rest toward/away from the grip, pivot the hand rest aboutan axis (e.g., fixed relative to the inceptor grip). Adjustmentmechanisms are preferably configured by manual adjustment, but canalternately be automatic, electrically actuated (e.g., acting as aportion of the feedback mechanism), statically stable in multiplepositions, and/or otherwise configurable. In a first variant, the handrest is pivotally mounted to the inceptor (e.g., inceptor grip) about apivot axis. In a first example of the first variant, the pivot axis islocated at the center point of inceptor curvature (e.g., exactly centerpoint, within 10% curvature radius, within 20% curvature radius, within50% curvature radius). An example is shown in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C. In asecond variant the palmar flange and/or bottom of the hand rest isslidable relative to the inceptor grip.

Adjustment mechanisms for the hand rest can include a locking mechanismwhich functions to retain a static position of the hand rest at a pointcustomized to the user (e.g., selected by user). Locking mechanisms caninclude: pin in hole, ratcheting, threading, friction-based, or othersuitable locking mechanisms. Locking mechanisms can have finite (e.g.,where a user can select and set a predetermined/preferred position) orinfinite adjustability (e.g., for maximum variability/customizability).Locking mechanisms can be manually operated and/or automatic (e.g.,motorized, automatic adjustment with non-back drivable gearing, etc.).However, locking mechanisms can be otherwise suitably implemented.

Preferably, the locking mechanisms, sliding, and/or pivoting adjustmentmechanisms are arranged below the hand rest, which can avoid infringingon the range of motion of the hand, avoid irritation and discomfort forthe user, and reduce the likelihood of accidental disturbance (e.g.,unlocking) during operation of the inceptor. However, the inceptor caninclude any other suitable adjustment mechanisms arranged in anysuitable manner.

Preferably, the hand rest is rigidly coupled to the grip and/orotherwise transfers forces/displacements to the primary axes of theinceptor (e.g., X, Y, Z), however the hand rest can alternately usesemi-flexible couplings, include a control axis between the palm restand grip, and/or include any other suitable mounting relative to thegrip.

The hand rest can have any suitable shape or geometry. Preferably, thedorsal and palmar flanges are concave across a midplane (e.g., includingvertical/lateral directions), forming a groove in which the blade of thehand can nest. Preferably, the hand rest is convex in the lengthwisedirection (e.g., with the distal and/or proximal flanges slopingdownwards). The hand rest can be saddle-shaped (e.g., concave down alonglength and concave up along width), flat, arcuate, form a valley (e.g.,groove), and/or have any other suitable geometry.

The inceptor preferably includes an inceptor grip (a.k.a. “shaft” or“grip shaft”) which functions to engage the purlicue, palmar side of thehand (e.g., thenar, hypothenar, phalanx base), and/or fingers to improveinceptor ergonomics (an example inceptor grip is shown in FIG. 27A toFIG. 27N). The grip can additionally or alternately function tostructurally support one or more binary inputs and/or input axes. Theinceptor can optionally function to provide haptic reference for theuser to enable non-visual operation of one or more binary inputs and/orinput axes. The spine of the grip can be straight, curved, arcuate,and/or have any other suitable geometry. In a first variant, the grip iscurved with constant radius. In a second variant, the grip is curvedwith variable radius. In a third variant, the grip is curved about thepalm blade rest pivot point. The grip can define any suitable anglerelative to the base and/or mounting surface (e.g., in a neutralposition), which can be towards the user (or seat of the user), awayfrom the user, and/or any other suitable angle.

The grip can include any suitable set of grip edges along a length ofthe spine, which functions to engage (e.g., slightly ‘dig into’) thepads of a user’s fingers. As an example, the grip edges can increase therotational force that a user can apply when compared to a smooth/slopedsurface. Additionally, grip edges can function to increase theflexibility of a grip to accommodate different hand sizes, since a handcan naturally deviate from the surface of the grip between pairs ofedges without influencing the maximum torque the user can apply. Gripedges can be formed by relief of a flat face on the grip which deviatesfrom a smooth surface of the grip. Alternatively, grip edges can beformed by a flat, arcuate, or arched surface running a partial length ofthe spine of the grip (e.g., substantially parallel to the twist/Z-axisof the grip). The surface between the pairs of grip edges can be aminimal surface, a monoclastic surface (e.g., arching with the spine), asynclastic surface (e.g., convex, etc.), a flat surface, asemi-cylinder, and/or any other suitable surface. Grip edges can bearranged on a rear (distal) side of the grip opposing a user and/or canextend crossways within/across finger grooves. Grip edges can have afillet radius, such as less than a threshold fillet radius of: 3 mm, 2mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.25 mm, and/or any other suitable fillet radius.Alternatively, grip edges can be chamfered, blunted, or otherwiseformed.

The grip can be manufactured from any suitable material(s), which caninclude: plastic, metal, composite, and/or any other suitable material.The grip can be manufactured by any suitable process, and can be:injection molded, rotational (roto) molded, extrusion blow molded,injection blow molded, reaction injection molded, vacuum cast,thermoformed, compression molded, cast (die cast, sand cast, investmentcast, pressure cast, etc.) die forged, formed, rolled, layup, and/or anyother suitable manufacturing technique. The grip can include an exteriorgrip material of the same material or different material from the bodyof the grip, which can include: rubber padding, external texturepadding, knurling (e.g., metal, plastic, rubber, etc.), and/or any othersuitable grip.

The grip can optionally include a thumb groove 112, which functions toenable haptic and/or non-visual positioning of the thumb relative to oneor more inputs of the inceptor. The thumb groove is preferably on theside of the inceptor grip opposing the hand rest, but can additionallyor alternately be arranged on the top of the inceptor grip, rear of theinceptor grip, left side, right side, and/or otherwise arranged. Thethumb groove can be located at any suitable height along the inceptorgrip-preferably the thumb groove at least 8.3 cm (95.sup.th percentilemale hand breadth) above the base of the grip and/or minimal point ofthe hand rest (e.g., in the lowest configuration), but can be 5 cm, 7cm, 8 cm, 9 cm, 10 cm, 11 cm, 15 cm, any range bounded by theaforementioned values, and/or any other suitable height along theinceptor grip. Preferably, the thumb groove is substantially orientedtowards (e.g., terminating at, containing and enclosing, etc.) theA-input axis (e.g., thumb axis), thumb wheel, and/or a roller wheel, butcan be oriented towards any suitable axis, towards the top of theinceptor, and/or any other suitable binary input or input axis.Alternatively, the thumb groove can be oriented towards no inputs,(e.g., such as for ergonomics and improved control authority). The thumbgroove is preferably tapered towards the front and/or base of the grip,but can be straight cut, notched, formed from a flange or protrusion inthe inceptor grip, mounted to the inceptor grip, relieved from theinceptor grip, and/or otherwise implemented.

The grip can include a thenar rest 114 (e.g., “thenar brace”) whichfunctions to engage a thenar eminence (e.g., thenar portion) of the handof the user. The thenar rest can additionally or alternatively functionto improve a user’s grip during twist (e.g., wrist flexion, outboardtwist, clockwise twist for a right-handed inceptor). The thenar rest ispreferably integrated into the body of the grip and/or formed with thegrip, but can additionally or alternatively be a separate componentmounted to the grip or can be integrated into the hand rest (e.g., canbe adjustable with the hand rest). In variants, the thenar rest can formall or a portion of the thumb groove, but can be otherwise suitableintegrated into the grip. The thenar rest can include a groove whichextends beyond the hand rest in one or more configurations (e.g., whenthe hand rest is raised, shortening an effective length of the inceptor,such as for a smaller hand). The thenar rest can include a groove havingthe same dimensions and/or characteristics as the thumb groove, or adifferent geometry. The width of the groove can be 0.5 cm, 1 cm, 2 cm, 3cm, 4 cm, any range bounded by the aforementioned values, and/or anyother suitable width. The groove can be straight, curved (e.g., concavemonoclastic, concave anticlastic, saddle-shaped, etc.), trace a partialhelix or 3D spiral (e.g., sweep a rotation and a translation about theZ-axis and/or a central axis of the spine), tapered (e.g., narrowingtowards a base of the inceptor) and or be otherwise formed. The groovecan have a relative width (e.g., for a particular cross section takenrelative to a base plane of the inceptor, such as cooperatively definedby the x/y axes), which can be: less than an width of the inceptor(e.g., taken perpendicular to a the width of the groove), half the widthof the inceptor, one quarter of the width of the inceptor, and/or anyother suitable relative dimension. The groove is preferably formed by aprotrusion along a proximal portion of the grip (e.g., extended surface,fin, etc.; oriented towards a user, extending substantially parallel tothe heel of the hand), but can additionally or alternatively include arelieved section of a convex profile of the remainder of the grip. Thethenar rest can span 3 cm, 5 cm, 8 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm, greater than 12 cm,and/or any other suitable length along the inceptor grip. However, theinceptor grip can include (or be used with) any other suitable thenarrest and/or otherwise exclude a thenar rest.

In one variant, the thenar rest can include a syncline-shaped groovewherein, for a cross section of the grip parallel to a base plane (e.g.,X/Y plane) of the grip, a width of the syncline-shaped groove is greaterthan 30% of a characteristic dimension of the grip. In an example, thewidth of the syncline-shaped groove defines a first vector in plane withthe cross section, wherein the width of the syncline-shaped groove issubstantially equal to (e.g., exactly equal, within 5%, within 10%,within 20%, etc.) a thickness of the grip in a direction perpendicularto the first vector (in the cross sectional plane).

The grip can optionally include a set of finger grooves 116, whichfunction to enable haptic and/or non-visual positioning of the indexand/or middle finger relative to one or more inputs of the inceptor. Thefinger grooves are preferably on the same side of the inceptor grip asthe hand rest, but can alternately be arranged on the rear of the grip,top of the grip, underside of the grip, and/or in any other suitablelocation. The finger grooves are preferably oriented substantiallytowards (e.g., terminating at, containing and enclosing, etc.) one ormore control axes or binary inputs, but can alternately be orientedtowards no inputs. The grip can include 0, 1, 2, 3, or more than 3finger grooves, which can be designated to engage the user’s indexfinger, middle finger, ring finger, a non-dominant thumb, a finger on anon-dominant hand, and/or any other suitable body part. In a specificexample, the grip includes a first finger groove and a second fingergroove, formed in a stair-step pattern on the rear of the inceptor grip.

The grip can include a fingertip contact pad 118 (e.g., “finger wall”)which functions to engage the fingertips of the hand and/or functions toreduce the twist effort required to generate the same effective moment(e.g., during wrist flexion). The fingertip contact pad can be planar(e.g., substantially flat), but can be convex, concave, and/or have anyother suitable shape. The fingertip contact pad can be arranged: at aterminal end of the finger groove, within the finger groove, on a backside of the thenar rest (e.g., opposing the surface engaging the thenareminence), offset from a face of extending between a pair of grip edges(e.g., substantially parallel to the face, etc.), and/or otherwisesuitably arranged. In variants, a surface normal of the fingertipcontact pad substantially opposes a surface normal of the thenar rest(e.g., defining a skew angle within 45 degrees of direct opposition,direct opposition. In variants, the surface normal of the fingertipcontact pad is parallel with a tangent plane of the spine of grip (e.g.,about the Z-axis), but can be otherwise arranged. The fingertip contactpad is preferably textured or knurled, but can be otherwise constructedwith a material having a high frictional coefficient when engaged with ahuman fingertip (e.g., frictional coefficient of 130% that of thesurface of the inceptor spine, greater than the frictional coefficientof the remainder of the spine, etc.). The contact pad can be configuredto engage an individual finger (e.g., digit associated with a fingergroove) or a plurality of fingers (e.g., third, fourth, and fifth digitsof the hand; 2 finger, 3 fingers, 4 fingers, etc.). The height of thecontact pad (e.g., evaluated along the length of the Z-axis) can be lessthan 1 cm, 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, 7 cm, greater than 7 cm, any rangebounded by the aforementioned values, and/or any other suitable height.In variants, the base of the contact pad can be arranged below the nadirof the hand rest (e.g., in a raised position of the hand rest), can besubstantially aligned with a base/lower end of the thenar rest, and/orcan be otherwise arranged. The width of the contact pad (e.g., evaluatedradially, for a particular cross section) can be: less than 0.5 cm, 1cm, 1.5 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, any range bounded by the aforementioned values,and/or any other suitable width. The contact pad can be: integrated intoa unitary body of the inceptor grip, integrated into the hand rest,integrated into the thenar rest (e.g., backside of the protruding finalong the spine of the inceptor), mounted to the grip (e.g., of separatematerial manufacture or mounting; protruding fin/flange separate fromand adjacent to the thenar rest), and/or otherwise formed. However, theinceptor grip can include any other suitable fingertip contact pad.

However, the grip can include any other suitable grooves in any suitablearrangement and/or haptic reference geometry.

The inceptor grip and/or inceptor can support any suitable secondaryinput axes, which can include: triggers, roller wheels (e.g., thumbwheels), rollers, joysticks, levers, knobs, sliders, and/or any otherinput axes, which can be controllable by the thumb, index, and/or middlefingers. The inceptor can additionally include any suitable binaryinputs such as buttons, switches, D-pads, binary triggers, binarylevers, and/or any other suitable binary inputs.

In a first variant, the inceptor includes an A-input (e.g., thumb axis)arranged on the opposite side of the grip as the hand rest and disposedat the end of a thumb groove.

In a second variant, the inceptor includes a stick trim 4-way switch,height rate command button, flight control system (FCS) paddle switch,mode disengage trigger, accelerate to wing-borne flight button (airspeedtarget button), decelerate to hover button, and an A-axis. In a firstexample, the A-axis is a thumb wheel. In a second example, the FCSpaddle switch is adjacent to the palmar side of the palm blade rest, andis configured to be actuated by a flexion of the small finger (e.g.,with palm blade relaxed/neutral on the hand rest). In a third example,the airspeed target button is arranged on top of the inceptor grip andis controllable by the thumb (e.g., with thumb not within thumb grooveand no requirement for simultaneous use of A-input and airspeed targetbutton). In a fourth example, the decelerate to hover button is arrangedon top of the inceptor grip and is controllable by the thumb (e.g., withthumb not within thumb groove and no requirement for simultaneous use ofA-input and decelerate to hover button). In a fifth example, the sticktrim 4-way switch is arranged on top of the inceptor grip and iscontrollable by the thumb (e.g., with thumb not within thumb groove andno requirement for simultaneous use of A-input and decelerate to hoverbutton). In a sixth example, the height rate command button is arrangedat the end of the first finger groove, enabling simultaneousmanipulation with primary axes and/or A-axis. In a seventh example, themode disengage trigger is arranged at the end of the second fingergroove, enabling simultaneous manipulation with primary axes and/orA-axis. In an eighth example, the A-axis (e.g., thumbwheel) does notself-center (automatically center), allowing the thumb to be removedwithout modifying the control input. In a ninth example, a lower portion(e.g., bottom) of the A-axis (such as a thumb wheel) can be exposed toand/or controlled by the middle or index finger, allowing the A-axis tobe held in a specific position with the thumb free for other inputs. Ina tenth example, a ‘brake’ on the A-axis can be actuated with otherfingers (e.g., on same hand, different hand), retaining the position andassociated input of the A-axis with the thumb free for other inputs. Inan eleventh example, an index finger input component (e.g., button,trigger) can be aligned with the pitch yaw plane of the inceptor, suchas defining a surface normal vector lying in a plane cooperativelydefined by the inceptor pitch axis and the twist axis and/or defining asurface normal vector which substantially intersects the Z-axis.

In a third variant, the A-axis can be arranged on a side-stick inceptor(e.g., such as a left-handed inceptor, opposing-handed sidestick). Theside-stick can be a single-axis inceptor (e.g., ‘throttle’ style) or amulti-axis inceptor. The side-stick is preferably self-centering (e.g.,with a deadband and/or soft stops as in the other primary axes), but canalternatively not self-center and retain displacement positions, or canbe otherwise suitably configured. The side-stick inceptor is preferablypassive, but can alternatively be active and/or otherwise formed. In aspecific example, the A-axis can be arranged on a second inceptor whichcan be the same (e.g., duplicative—such as for a second user) ordifferent from the inceptor (e.g., mirrored grip, different grip, etc.).

The user can engage and/or manipulate any suitable portions of theinceptor and/or hand rest by any suitable motions and/or articulations.The user can engage the grip of the inceptor at: the left side, rightside, front, rear, hand rest side, thumb rest side (or side opposite thehand rest), and/or any other suitable portion of the inceptor grip. Theuser can engage the hand rest at the proximal end (toward user), distalend (away from user), palmar flange (adjacent to grip), dorsal flange(peripheral side, opposing grip, etc.), thumb groove (side adjacent togrip, peripheral side, etc.). The user can engage the inceptor and/orother components of the system with any suitable portions of the hand,wrist, forearm, and/or other suitable body parts. The portions of theuser’s hand which control one or more axes can be: the dorsal side ofthe hand, the palmar side of the hand, the small finger (base, proximalportion, distal portion, palmar side, dorsal side, etc.), the blade ofthe hand (e.g., palmar side, dorsal side, ulnar border of hand, etc.),hypothenar section of hand, thenar section of hand, mid palm section ofthe hand, the heel of the hand, the fingers of the hand, the thumb, thepurlicue, the upper pad of the hand, outer pad of the hand, and/or anyother suitable portion of the hand. The user can manipulate the inceptorand other suitable components with any suitable motions of the wrist(such as: extension, flexion, ulnar deviation, radial deviation, and/orneutral position/motion), fingers (such as: extension, flexion, and/orneutral position/motion), forearm/elbow (such as supination, pronation,flexion, extension, and/or neutral position/motion), thumb (such as:palmar abduction, radial abduction, anteposition, retroposition,flexion, extension, and/or neutral position/motion), shoulder (such as:horizontal flexion or internal rotation, horizontal extension orexternal rotation, vertical flexion, vertical extension, abduction,adduction, and/or neutral position/motion), and/or any other suitablemotions of any suitable user body part. It is noted that the human armhas excess degrees of freedom, and therefore some motions can beachieved by multiple combinations and/or permutations ofarticulations-it is assumed that any alternate combinations and/orpermutations which substantially achieve the same engagement, inceptorbehavior (e.g., in a particular axis), and/or command output canadditionally or alternately be substituted for the articulationsdisclosed herein.

The primary axes, including the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, of theinceptor can be manipulated by any suitable set of user motions and/orcorresponding inceptor contacts points.

Preferably, application of force on the distal flange (or distal portionof the hand rest) and/or pushing forwards (away from pilot) on the gripof the inceptor (e.g., thenar rest) can generate a net moment in a firstdirection (e.g., positive or negative) of the X-axis. Preferably,application of force on the proximal portion of the palm blade and/orpulling backwards (towards pilot) on the grip of the inceptor cangenerate a net moment in a second direction (opposing the firstdirection) of the X-axis.

Application of force on the dorsal flange (e.g., in an outward directionrelative to the inceptor grip, right) can generate a net moment in afirst direction (e.g., positive or negative) of the Y-axis. Additionallyor alternately, a rightward (e.g., for a right handed inceptor) force onthe inceptor grip by the thumb can generate a net moment in the firstdirection of the Y-axis. Application of force on the palmar flange(e.g., in an inward direction relative to the grip, left) can generate anet moment in a second direction (e.g., opposing the first direction) ofthe Y-axis. Additionally or alternately, a leftward force on theinceptor grip by the palm (e.g., palmar side, mid palm, etc.) cangenerate a net moment in the second direction.

Application of force on the proximal portion of the palmar flange anddistal portion of the dorsal flange can cooperatively generate a netmoment in a first direction (e.g., positive, negative) of the Z-axis.Additionally or alternately, application of force on the proximalportion of the inceptor grip (e.g., side engaging purlicue, near side;thenar rest) and distal portion of the dorsal flange can cooperativelygenerate a net moment in a first direction of the Z-axis. Application offorce on the distal portion of the palmar flange and proximal portion ofthe dorsal flange can cooperatively generate a net moment in a seconddirection (e.g., opposing the first direction) of the Z-axis.Additionally or alternately, application of force on the distal portionof the inceptor grip (e.g., rear side; fingertip contact pad) andproximal portion of the dorsal flange can cooperatively generate a netmoment in a second direction of the Z-axis.

An example of inceptor contact mappings to input commands is illustratedin FIG. 13 .

In a first variant, the X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis can be manipulatedwithout the use of the thumb (an example is shown in FIG. 22A), withoutthe activation of thenar eminence, with the thumb in a relaxed orneutral position, and/or with the fingers in a relaxed, neutral,extended, retracted or other configuration. In a first specific example,the X-axis can be manipulated without requiring the involvement of thethumb, index finger, and/or middle finger, leaving them free forexecuting other controls, positioning them to execute other controls,and/or allowing them to concurrently execute other controls. In a secondspecific example, the Y-axis can be manipulated without requiring theinvolvement of the thumb, index finger, and/or middle finger, leavingthem free for executing other controls, positioning them to executeother controls, and/or allowing them to concurrently execute othercontrols. In a third specific example, the Z-axis can be manipulatedwithout requiring the involvement of the thumb, index finger, and/ormiddle finger, leaving them free for executing other controls,positioning them to execute other controls, and/or allowing them toconcurrently execute other controls. In a fourth specific example: theX, Y, and Z axes can be controlled with the thumb located in the thumbgroove (e.g., in a neutral position), index finger in the first fingergroove (e.g., in a neutral position), and/or middle finger in the secondfinger groove (e.g., in a neutral position).

In a second variant, the X-axis, Y-axis, and/or Z-axis can bemanipulated with only the small finger and/or palm of the pilot’shand-which is preferably the pilot’s right hand (an example of a righthand inceptor is shown in FIG. 25 ), but can alternately be the pilot’sleft hand, either hand, and/or both hands.

First, second, and third specific examples of an inceptor are shown inFIG. 19 , FIG. 21 and FIG. 24 , respectively.

In variants, the system can include two inceptors (e.g., whereinhelicopter-analogous actions are associated with a right-hand inceptor,wherein airplane-analogous actions are associated with a left-handinceptor, vice versa, etc.). In another example, the system can includetwo inceptors, wherein a first inceptor is operable in a first flightregime (e.g., hover) and the second inceptor is operable in a secondflight regime (e.g., airplane), and both inceptors are operable (e.g.,in a redundant manner, in a non-redundant manner, etc.) in a transitionflight regime. In additional or alternative variations, the unifiedcommand system can have a single inceptor. However, the input mechanismcan additionally or alternatively include any suitable number ofinceptors.

Inceptor(s) can be left-handed (e.g., designed to engage left hand ofuser, positioned on the left of the user, include the hand rest on theleft side of the grip, etc.), right-handed, two-handed, symmetric (e.g.,operated with either hand), and/or otherwise configured. In a specificexample, the system can include a primary inceptor (e.g., with aright-handed grip; including a twist and/or Z-axis; having at least 3primary axes) and a side-stick inceptor (e.g., with a left-handed grip;including the A-axis).

One or more axes/inputs of the inceptor can include a deadband (or deadzone), which functions for avoid processing small departures from theneutral position (e.g., related to mechanical or sensor bias, incidentaldisturbances, etc.; an example is shown in FIG. 15B). Deadbands can besymmetric or asymmetric ranges about the neutral position. Deadbands canbe predetermined, dynamically determined, configured by the user/pilot,and/or otherwise implemented. Deadbands can be implemented inconjunction with a mechanical hardware mechanism, such as soft-stops atthe boundaries of the deadband (e.g., for small displacements inopposing directions relative to the neutral position of the inceptor).Deadbands can additionally or alternatively include an input threshold,where departures below the threshold force/displacement are neglected.In a specific example, the sensor threshold for a deadband can exceedthe magnitude of breakout force/displacement by at least a predeterminedmargin of sensor error. However, the axes can include any other suitabledeadbands and/or otherwise exclude deadbands.

The inceptor and/or one or more axes/inputs of the inceptor can beself-centering (returning to a neutral position by default), notself-centering (remain in a departed position), or otherwise suitablyimplemented.

The inceptor can be active or passive: it can provide force feedback(e.g., dynamically resist motion in one or more axes, vibrate, etc.),provide no force feedback, be configurable to provide force feedback(e.g., by a user/pilot), or otherwise operate.

In variants, the inceptor can include one or more endpoints of thehaptic feedback mechanism, include a motor of the haptic feedbackmechanism (e.g., for a passive inceptor), provide no haptic feedback,and/or be otherwise configured.

In variants, the inceptor can be located offboard the aircraft (such asfor remotely piloted and/or unmanned aircrafts), can operate as part ofa flight simulation, be a line replaceable unit (LRU), can be removablefrom the aircraft, can wirelessly communicate with the aircraft, and/orotherwise operate.

The aircraft control system 100 can include a haptic feedback mechanismwhich functions to communicate with the pilot via transmission of force.The haptic feedback mechanism can include one or more vibrationmechanisms, which can function to alert the user by vibration of ahaptic endpoint (such as an arm rest, the inceptor, seat, etc.). Thevibration mechanism can alert the user and/or generate vibrations of anyparticular frequency, amplitude, and/or pattern of variation infrequency and/or amplitude. Vibrations can be generated by an eccentricrotating mass (ERM), linear resonant actuator (LRA), ultrasound beams(focal point localized on hand or finger without physical contact),and/or any other suitable device/mechanism. The vibration mechanism canbe located inside the inceptor, at the top of the inceptor grip, in themiddle of the inceptor grip, at the base of the inceptor grip, at amounting surface of the inceptor or grip, at the hand rest mountingand/or pivot point, at the arm rest, and/or in any other suitablelocation. The vibration mechanism can operate at any suitable frequency,which can be <0.4 Hz, 0.4 Hz, 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 400Hz, 800 Hz, >800 Hz, any range bounded by the aforementioned values,and/or any other suitable frequency. The vibration mechanism can operatewith any normalized amplitude, which can be <2 G, 2 G, 5 G, 10 G, 15 G,50 G, 100 G, >100 G, any range bounded by the aforementioned values,and/or any other suitable normalized amplitude. In a first variant, asingle actuator (or single vibration mechanism) vibrates the inceptorgrip. In a second variant, there is one vibration mechanism per axis ofthe inceptor. In a third variant, there is one force feedback mechanismper axis of the inceptor.

Haptic feedback mechanism and/or vibration mechanisms can communicatealerts to the pilot via an active or passive inceptor, and can beconfigured to generate haptic alerts related to one or more sensors orvehicle states (an example is shown in FIG. 12 ). In specific example,the haptic feedback mechanism can be controlled by the flight controller102 based on the vehicle state (an example is shown in FIG. 7 ) asdetermined by the vehicle navigation system (VNS) 107 as described inU.S. Application Ser. No. 16/721,523, filed 19 Dec. 2019, which isincorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. Haptic feedbackmechanism alerts can include sensor alerts (fuel level, range alert,cabin temperature, battery temperature, cabin pressure, etc.), collisionavoidance alerts, autopilot or augmented mode alerts, traffic alerts,crew alerting systems (CAS), command model alerts, system health alerts,mode change alerts, general pilot alerts, and/or other suitable alerts.

Haptic feedback mechanism and/or vibration mechanisms can communicatealerts in decreasing order of priority/urgency and/or can communicatediffering haptic alerts concurrently. In an example, haptic alerts canbe communicated concurrently if a first alerts correspond to loweramplitude and/or lower frequency, and a second alert corresponds tohigher amplitude, higher frequency, and/or a pattern, wherein the secondalert is higher priority than first alert. Alternately, concurrentalerts can be sent to different haptic endpoints, communicated serially,or not be communicated (e.g., if lower priority).

Haptic alerts and/or vibrations can be communicated by any suitablevibration patterns, such as: uniformly maintain vibrationcharacteristics (e.g., motor RPM) until alert is resolved, periodicallyengage/disengage a motor of the vibration mechanism, rapidly accelerateand/or decelerate the motor, communicate similar to Morse-code patterns(combination of dashes and dots, etc.), and/or generate any othersuitable vibration patterns. Preferably, each vibration patterncorresponds to a distinct alert, however, a vibration pattern cancorrespond to multiple alerts, indicate that the pilot should look at adisplay (or other system specifying the alert type), correspond only toalter severity, correspond only to alert type, correspond to both alerttype and severity, and/or otherwise suitably communicate with the user.There are preferably between 3 and 8 different haptic alert patternsassociated, which maximizes the amount of haptic communication whilemaintaining a reasonably low cognitive load, but there can alternatelybe any suitable number of haptic alert types available.

However, the haptic feedback mechanism and/or vibration mechanism can beotherwise suitably implemented.

The aircraft control system 100 can optionally include an arm rest 106which functions to support the pilot’s arm during manipulation of theinceptor. The arm rest 106 can be adjustable (infinite adjustment orfinite adjustment) or static (e.g., fixed in place). In some variants,the arm rest 106 can be adjustable (an example is shown in FIG. 14 )which may allow it to be adjusted such that in a neutral position of thewrist and/or inceptor, a contact point of the forearm on the arm rest106 subtsantially aligned with a contact point of the hand blade againstthe hand rest, however the forearm can alternately be angled relative tothe hand when contacting the arm rest 106, and/or otherwise adjusted.The arm rest can be manufactured from any suitable material, and caninclude a rubber coating or other padding for improved comfort. The armrest can be flat, curved, arcuate, or have any other suitable geometry.Preferably, the arm rest is arranged to support the user’s forearm, withthe upper surface of the arm rest is in plane with the hand rest. Thearm rest can be connected to the hand rest and/or inceptor, or mountedseparately to a dashboard, pilot seat, and/or otherwise suitablymounted. The arm rest can optionally be connected to and/or include avibration mechanism, and serve as a haptic feedback endpoint-which cancommunicate the same haptic alerts as the inceptor and/or differenthaptic alerts. However, the arm rest can otherwise be suitablyimplemented.

The aircraft control system 100 can include a flight controller whichfunctions to receive command input from the input mechanisms andoptionally, the one or more sensors, and functions generate controloutput(s) to affect the state of one or more effectors of the aircraft(e.g., to control the aerodynamic forces and/or moments on the aircraft,an example is shown in FIG. 7 ). The flight processor can also functionto implement a unified command model as described in U.S. ApplicationSer. No. 16/708,367, filed 9 Dec. 2019, which is incorporated in itsentirety by this reference.

Inputs to the flight processor can include user input (e.g., commandinput) and vehicle state variables (e.g., aircraft position, aircraftpositional change rates, forces on the aircraft, moments on theaircraft, speed, airspeed, groundspeed, etc.), guidance inputs (e.g.,autopilot commands, waypoints, trajectory plans, flightpath, etc.), thecurrent flight regime, and any other suitable inputs. Outputs (controloutputs) from the flight processor can include target effector positions(e.g., angular positions of control surfaces, drive power for effectoractuators, encoder states for effector actuators, etc.), and any othersuitable outputs. The inputs are translated into outputs collectively bythe command model and the control engine executing at the flightprocessor.

The aircraft control system 100 can include effectors which function togenerate and/or adjust aerodynamic forces and/or moments on theaircraft, in response to control outputs received from the flightprocessor (e.g., generated according to a unified command model based oninput received from a user). The effectors can include ailerons,ruddervators, flaps, propulsion units (e.g., tiltable propellers withvariable blade pitch), and any other suitable control surfaces and/oractuatable mechanisms that can affect the flight of the aircraft. Theeffectors can also include actuators that actuate the control surface(s)of the effectors such as one or more: blade pitch mechanism, tiltmechanism, motor (by varying RPM), and/or other suitable actuator(s).

In a specific example, the effectors of the system include ailerons(e.g., 2 on each side of the aircraft), ruddervators (e.g., 3 on eachside of the aircraft), flaps (e.g., 2 on each side of the aircraft), andpropulsion unit associated effectors (e.g., 6 nacelle tilt actuators,motors with adjustable RPM, and propeller blades with variable pitch).Each effector is preferably associated with and coupled to a singleactuator (e.g., a rotary actuator mounted on the hinge line of actuatedcontrol surfaces, a variable pitch linkage actuator, etc.) thatpositions the effector (or increases the rotary power delivered to othereffectors, as in the case of the motor) in response to control outputreceived from the flight processor. However, each effector canadditionally or alternatively be associated with any suitable number ofactuators.

The aircraft control system 100 can include one or more sensors tomeasure aircraft parameters which can be used to determine vehiclesstate and/or flight regime. Sensors can include fuel level, batterymonitoring (e.g., SoC, voltage, power draw), air data sensors,temperature sensors (e.g., interior or exterior), altimeter, barometer,airspeed sensors, spatial sensors, proximity sensors, location sensors(e.g., GPS, GNSS, triangulation, trilateration, etc.), force sensors(e.g., strain gauge meter, load cell), and/or any other suitablesensors.

Alternative embodiments implement the above methods and/or processingmodules in non-transitory computer-readable media, storingcomputer-readable instructions. The instructions can be executed bycomputer-executable components integrated with the computer-readablemedium and/or processing system. The computer-readable medium mayinclude any suitable computer readable media such as RAMs, ROMs, flashmemory, EEPROMs, optical devices (CD or DVD), hard drives, floppydrives, non-transitory computer readable media, or any suitable device.The computer-executable component can include a computing system and/orprocessing system (e.g., including one or more collocated ordistributed, remote or local processors) connected to the non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, such as CPUs, GPUs, TPUS, microprocessors, orASICs, but the instructions can alternatively or additionally beexecuted by any suitable dedicated hardware device.

Embodiments of the system and/or method can include every combinationand permutation of the various system components and the various methodprocesses, wherein one or more instances of the method and/or processesdescribed herein can be performed asynchronously (e.g., sequentially),concurrently (e.g., in parallel), or in any other suitable order byand/or using one or more instances of the systems, elements, and/orentities described herein.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detaileddescription and from the figures and claims, modifications and changescan be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention defined in the followingclaims.

1. A system for receiving inputs from a user of an aircraft, the system comprising: an inceptor mount defining a neutral position, a base plane, and a plurality of primary axes comprising a twist axis orthogonal to the base plane; a grip connected to the inceptor mount at a first end, a length of the grip extending from the first end to a distal end; for each primary axis: a passive force-feedback mechanism mechanically coupled to the inceptor mount about the primary axis, the passive force-feedback mechanism configured to provide varying displacement resistance based on a departure of the grip from the neutral position along the primary axis; and a sensor coupled to the inceptor mount and configured to determine an input along the axis based on the departure; a thenar rest protruding from the grip and extending between the first and distal ends along a partial length of the grip, the thenar rest defining a groove configured to engage a thenar eminence of a hand while a plurality of fingers of the hand grasp the grip; and one or more input components mounted to the grip proximal to the distal end.
 2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a hand rest coupled to the grip and comprising a dorsal flange, the dorsal flange extending from a nadir section of the hand rest away from the base plane, wherein the hand rest is anticlastic and wherein the hand rest is configured to engage an ulnar border of a hand of the user while a plurality of fingers of the hand grasp the grip and a dorsal side of the hand contacts the dorsal flange.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the grip further comprises a finger groove defined in a side of the grip and extending between a front side and a back side of the grip.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the grip further comprises at least one finger groove defined in a side of the grip and extending between a front side and a back side of the grip.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the grip further comprises a fingertip contact pad at a terminal end of the at least one finger groove.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one finger groove comprises a first finger groove and a second finger groove located below the first finger groove on the grip, a first user input located an end of the first finger groove and a second user input located at an end of the second finger groove.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the grip further comprises a textured fingertip contact pad opposing the groove of the thenar rest across a thickness of the thenar rest.
 8. The system of claim 2, wherein the hand rest defines a proximal side of the grip and a distal side of the grip, wherein the distal side of the grip comprises a pair of grip edges extending along a portion of the length of the grip, the pair of grip edges configured to engage pads of the plurality of fingers crosswise.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the passive force-feedback mechanism of each primary axis is spring-loaded to self-center at within a dead-band threshold of the neutral position.
 10. The system of claim 9, the dead-band threshold corresponding to a breakout torque in each primary axis, wherein the breakout torque of the twist axis is at least double the breakout torque of each of a remainder of the primary axes.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the passive force-feedback mechanism comprises a soft stop along each axis, wherein exceeding a torque threshold of the soft stop comprises a pilot confirmation.
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a unitary haptic feedback mechanism mechanically coupled to the inceptor mount and configured to communicate alerts associated with each of the primary axes.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the unitary haptic feedback mechanism is configured to provide multiple alerts simultaneously.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the grip is configured to be articulated in each primary axis without use of a thumb or an index finger.
 15. A system for receiving inputs from a user for a fly-by-wire (FBW) aircraft, the system comprising: an inceptor mount defining a neutral position, a base plane, and a plurality of primary axes comprising a twist axis orthogonal to the base plane; a grip connected to the inceptor mount at a first end, a length of the grip extending from the first end to a distal end, wherein the grip is configured to be grasped by third, fourth, and fifth digits of a hand of the user with a thumb and a second digit of the hand free; a thenar rest protruding from the grip and extending between the first and distal ends along a partial length of the grip, the thenar rest defining a groove configured to engage a thenar eminence of the hand while the digits of the hand grasp the grip; and a plurality of input components mounted to the grip proximal to the distal end and configured to receive inputs from a thumb and the second digit of the hand.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the grip further comprises at least one finger groove defined in a side of the grip and extending between a front side and a back side of the grip.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the grip further comprises a textured fingertip contact pad at a terminal end of the at least one finger groove to facilitate twisting of the grip.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one finger groove comprises a first finger groove and a second finger groove located below the first finger groove on the grip, a first user input located an end of the first finger groove and a second user input located at an end of the second finger groove.
 19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a hand rest coupled to the grip and comprising a dorsal flange, the dorsal flange extending from a nadir section of the hand rest away from the base plane, wherein the hand rest is anticlastic and wherein the hand rest is configured to engage an ulnar border of a hand of the user while the digits of the hand grasp the grip and a dorsal side of the hand contacts the dorsal flange.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the grip further comprises a textured fingertip contact pad opposing the groove of the thenar rest across a thickness of the thenar rest to facilitate twisting of the grip. 